You've Got Your RomCom in My SciFi
by scarsgirl
Summary: Title says it all. A sometimes fluffy, mostly angsty, take on RomComs in Spaaaaace! Featuring RomCom classics, such as: I'm a single parent and afraid to love again; Oh no, I have feelings for two people; Wait, I'm your boss, and the always popular, We met while doing porn. Pairings include: McCoy/Chekov, Keenser/Others, Sulu/Jamal, Spock/Kirk/Uhura and other pairings.


A few words about this story:

- This is sort of a fusion with Love, Actually though most of the story lines tended to take on a life of their own, so it's not going to be an exact retelling, which is good, cause that would be boring.

- Speaking of a life of it's own. I had intended this story to focus on the Spock/Uhura/Kirk storyline, but then I starting writing and their storyline became my C-plot as the Chekov/McCoy and Keenser storylines took over. One of the weird things I've discovered about writing is that sometimes the writer doesn't have as much control over the characters as we'd like to think.

The Rating - I'm rating this Mature for safety's sake, but it's probably more along the lines of a Teen for most of the fic, with only a scene or two that cross into something M-worthy.

- I don't have a beta and I'm sure there will be mistakes. I've gone over the fic several times, but there is always something that slips by, if you find something, please let me know and I'll correct it.

Zahra Jamal - OMG I love her! In case you're unfamiliar with her character go to the to the Star Trek wiki and search for Zahra. And, yes, there are people that beautiful in the world. Anyway, I know she's kind of obscure, but I wanted someone to match with Sulu that was in the original series and in the reboot (well, the comic verse anyway) and they seemed like they would have common interests and be a good match, so I went for it.

Accents - You'll note that I have not written Pavel's accent as a part of his dialogue, but have included some of Scotty's pronunciations. The reason for this is simple, Pavel has an accent and Scotty speaks a form of Old English. I know it seems like a small difference, but it was my reasoning behind that decision.

Wow! This is a long note. Anyway, if you're still reading this please feel free to comment/review. I'd love to hear what you think.

* * *

Chapter 1

"Hey, you ready, darlin?" Jo's eyes lifted from the shoes she'd been dutifully studying for the duration of the ceremony. It'd been almost a year since he'd seen her face to face, but she had changed little. He knew that at 13 she was a little late in her development, but he was more relieved than worried at this point. It would be difficult enough adjusting to life aboard a starship. The last thing either of them needed were hormones making everything seem more dire than they really were.

"Yeah," came her quiet reply. She spared a glance at the vault door as the workers closed it. They had taken Jeanie's remains in and placed them next to her mother's after transferring a few of the older remains into urns. These days most folks preferred burial in space or at sea, but Jean's family had been interned in the same family vault since before the U.S. Civil War and Jeanie was never one to break with tradition. He felt a slow squeeze in his chest; the feeling of loss almost overwhelming his desire to remain strong for Jo. He'd spent so much energy hating Jeanie since the divorce, that its intensity was more than a little shocking to him.

Of course, he'd thought he would have another 5 years of battling to do over Jo's visitation schedule and decisions regarding her schooling and he'd had to keep any love he'd once felt for her firmly in a mental and emotional no man's land. Losing her had reminded him that he had once loved her very deeply.

He took Jo's hand as they made their way to the coordinates he'd given the_ Hood _for their pickup. They moved slowly, he gave a half-hearted wave to a few of Jeanie's co-workers that were still milling about, talking about the tragedy of her loss. "Will there be other kids there?" Jo asked, her voice sounding distant.

"There are a few crewmen who have their children on board. Only a handful, but enough that we have a classroom and activities for everyone."

"Mama said it was dangerous." He could tell that Jo's jaw was clenched even though she had turned her face as far away from him as she could and still see where she was walking. What's not supposed to be dangerous is crossing the street in Atlanta, but Jeanie was gone all the same. "That's why I, and the other parents on board, had to get special permission and why me and everyone else on board is going to work very hard to make sure you're safe -that we're all safe. That's the way we do things on the_ Enterprise._"

She shrugged in response. It had been her standard response to most of the conversations they'd had over the last few days. He was grateful that he had been able to catch a ride on the_ Hood_, instead of forcing_ Enterprise_ back to earth. It would give Jo a few days to adjust in a low-stress environment. He knew that the crew on the_ Enterprise _would try to be sensitive to him and Jo during this time, but with everything going on in their own lives he could just imagine them trying to hide from their problems by taking on his and Jo's and becoming a little overbearing in the process.

Hell, he was almost glad the wedding would over by the time he rejoined the ship at Starbase 68. Jim's moodiness and depression aside, watching his dear friend watch the man or the woman, he couldn't keep track at this point, he loved marry someone else was not something that he had been looking forward to in the least. His personal communication device chirped letting him know the_ Hood _was ready for him. He lifted the front flap of his formal uniform to dig it out of his pocket. He squeezed Jo's hand one more time before letting go and signaling his readiness for transport.

* * *

"Heya Captain, whaya doing hidin' in the corner?" Scotty nearly knocked Jim over as he stumbled into his side. "There's at least three lovely ladies waitin' fer ya to ask'em to dance." Scotty leaned so heavily into him that Jim had to brace himself against a table leg to stay upright. "I'm recording the ceremony, Scotty. Gotta stay focused or Uhura'll have my balls." He was sure his comment didn't quite live up to the hysterical laughter it engendered, but seeing Scott's bright, happy face forced him to smile. The first genuine smile he'd had in days. He'd done his best to keep up the facade of the joyous best friend, but it had been a strain and with Bones away he'd had no one to confide in or who could, at the very least, provide alcohol.

"Why ya lookin so sad Cap - Captain? It ain't like you're losing a first officer, you're gaining a mighty fine...uh...I had somethin' there, but I lost her." Jim shook his head, grinning as he hit a few buttons on his PADD to stop it from recording and saving the file for him to edit later, "I think it's about time all good little engineers get in their bunks and get some sleep before their shift tomorrow." Jim said, hitching Scotty over one shoulder and holding his PADD with the other.

He looked up, hoping to catch eyes with someone on the dance floor so he could convey the reason for his leaving (even if it wasn't the only reason) to someone in the celebrating mass, only to find the happy couple regarding him from the center of the crowd. Nyota bent her head to hide a laugh in Spock's shoulder as Spock nodded his understanding with a smile that wouldn't have been a smile to anyone but him, and Nyota, of course. He found himself smiling back with a nod of his own as he hefted his ever growing burden. Maybe he should drop by medical and get Scotty a vitamin shot or possibly an infusion, before dropping him in his quarters.

* * *

Gamma shift was his and his alone. He'd been lucky enough that his age hadn't been as much of a factor in the crew's conception of him as it had been for Chekov. Even now the crew regarded him as a leader and his shift, even if it was a skeleton crew working the graveyard shift, treated him as though he were a Captain in his own right, though technically he was still only a Lieutenant Commander by rank.

"Yeoman Price do you have the..." He trailed off when he realized Price was not at her station.

"You're not Price." He said, feeling his cheeks flush as the women walking toward him smiled kindly. "No sir, its Jamal, Zahra. I've been assigned to Gamma shift. I'm your new Yeoman."

"New? I don't remember seeing a new name on the duty roster." He pulled up his PADD to double check.

"Oh, uh, you won't, Sir. I was to begin tomorrow, but Viv, I mean Yeoman Price wanted to go the wedding and since I'm new to the ship and wouldn't know anyone anyway, I volunteered to take her place." It was difficult to be terse in the face of her kind, if rambling explanation, but order had to be maintained if he was going to keep Gamma shift running smoothly. "I understand Yeoman, but in the future all requests for shift changes are to go through formal channels and be approved by the Captain, Commander Spock or myself, understood?"

Jamal drew her arms behind her back, coming to attention and squaring her shoulders to acknowledge the order, "Yes, of course, Sir."

"Thank you, Yeoman. Now, I would like to see the maintenance requests from Engineering and to review the morning duty roster. I have a feeling that we may have to create a backup roster for Alpha shift after tonight's festivities."

"Yes sir," Yeoman Jamal said, taking her PADD in hand as she began to scroll through the crew manifest.

"Oh, and contact Medical and advise them to get a few extra vitamin shots ready. If everything I'm hearing about the party is true, they'll probably have a run in the morning." His light tone encouraged Jamal to relax her stance as a sly grin crept across her face.

It was a really nice grin, kinda…. He looked down at his PADD, forcing himself to concentrate on the recommendations scrolling across the screen.

"Of course, Sir," Yeoman Jamal replied brightly as she began composing the order for Doctor M'Benga.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"There she is Jo, _The Enterprise_ in all her glory." He and Jo had arrived at Starbase 68 the previous evening and after a light dinner had gone to their room and sacked out. The_ Hood_ had a good crew, but the guest quarters were close to the more active parts of the ship and Jo'd had a hard time adjusting to the ship's rhythms as they made their way to the base. The _Enterprise_ had come into dock some time during the night. They were due for supplies and a few crewmen would be taking leave for the upcoming Winter holidays back on Earth. He'd had half a thought taking an extending leave himself to let Jo have one more Winter Celebration at home, but decided in the end, it would be better to start a new tradition together.

"It's not as big as I thought it would be," Jo observed clinically as she squinted hard through the glass of the observation deck. "Oh, she's plenty big, Jo. It's just the glass and the perspective making her look small. When you get on board and see how much room our new cabin has -you won't believe it!"

"I guess," She said. He could see the downturn of her mouth in her reflection and felt his heart give a sympathetic squeeze. Yeah, he wouldn't have loved the idea of giving up a house the size of the Manse either. He felt like kicking himself, of course, it didn't matter how big their cabin was, not with all Jo was going through now. The ship's counselor had warned him that she might tend toward anxiety and isolation while she processed the tragedy of her mother's loss and here he was trying to get her excited about 2 rooms and a bath.

"You'll settle in. It might take just a bit of gettin' used to, darlin'," A corner of her mouth turned up at the endearment. 'My Darlin' Clementine' used to be one of their favorite songs to sing together when she was small and it was his turn to put her down for the night. He would have thought she'd been too young to remember those nights, but maybe somewhere, deep down, it was a good association for her.

"Doctor! Doctor McCoy!" Pavel's voice echoed down the corridor, drawing the interest of a few couples sitting nearby watching the arriving and departing ships and drawing Joanna's attention as well.

"Ah, Chekov, Jo, I'd like for you to meet Junior Lieutenant Pavel Chekov," He said with a flourish as Joanna turned to greet the excited young man. The bow Pavel gave in greeting caused Leonard's eyebrow to jerk up in surprise. The curly-cue that he tried, and often failed, to corral dropped onto his brow as he rose, causing Leonard's hand to itch with the desire brush it back into place. He chided himself, now was not the time or place to be having such thoughts.

"Miss Joanna, it is a great pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Junior..."

"Now, now there will be none of that between us; it is Pavel to you, Miss Joanna." Jo blushed furiously in response. Great! Now he and Jo had another thing in common -ridiculous crushes on someone who was not appropriate for their respective ages.

"Well, then you can call me Jo," She said unable to keep the smile from overtaking her face.

"Of course," Pavel said as his eyes drifted up to meet Leonard's. Their brightness was a welcome sight after the dark and lonely trip to earth and back. "Doctor, it is good to see you as well." He offered, sounding much less grandiose than he had when speaking to Joanna.

"You too, Pavel." He struggled for a moment trying to make his tone more professional, even though, he was technically still on leave. "Are you helping with the re-stock?"

"Oh, me, no. I just wanted to explore the station a little and say my goodbyes to Keenser."

He felt himself do a double-take. "Good-bye to Keenser? Where's Keenser going?"

Pavel eyed Joanna crossing his arms in front of himself as he measured his words. "That's a long story. Or maybe not so much long as one for another time." He gestured quite indiscreetly toward Jo, indicating that she was the reason the story couldn't be shared. Thinking of Keenser and Scotty and the stories that Pavel freely shared about them with the rest of the crew on a regular basis, he decided that yes, now was not the time, though he could see that the rebuff was not sitting well with Jo. Perhaps a change of subject? "Well, how about we go to the commercial deck and grab a bite before packing up, Jo? Jr. Lt, care to join us?"

Pavel accepted the invitation with a quiet nod. Jo straightened, possibly trying to make herself look taller as she moved from her father's side to stand next to Pavel. Seeing them standing there next to one another did a funny little thing to his chest that Leonard decided really needed to stop, so he swallowed down the desire to hug them both close and led the way to the nearest restaurant.

* * *

_The morning after the wedding…. _

There was urine on his only clean uniform. The uniform he had laid out on **His **side of their bathroom before going to the wedding last night because** He** wanted to be able to dress quickly and with as little fuss as possible after staying up late with the celebration. He kept one eye focused on stained uniform as the bathroom door zipped open and Scotty rushed in to stick his head in their toilet, emptying the contents of what had to be at least three stomachs.

"Ah, God! I'm dying! This is it!" Scotty said flopping down next to the toilet and resting his head against the latrine wall. "Ah!" Scotty jerked trying to cover himself as he finally realized that he was not alone. "What are you doin' just standin' there? Get me a Doctor."

He shook his head to indicate his answer, hoping his face expressed the disdain he felt in that moment for his long-time roommate. "What's your problem? I'm the sick one. Why am I gettin' the hairy, uh, scaly eyeball?"

He looked at his befouled uniform to indicate the cause of his displeasure.

"Aye! You've got another?"

He did not.

"Well, you could wear one of mine?" He felt his shoulders tighten when Scotty started laughing as he spoke, "We could roll up the pants legs," He wheezed and clutched at his chest "or you could just wear my shirt with a nice belt, show off those stunner legs of ..." His eyes had been turning red, anger clouding his vision, so he wasn't prepared to move when Scotty lurched suddenly and the contents of his stomach once again made an appearance, somehow managing to traverse the distance between them to land hot and moist in the center of his chest.

He looked down in disgust at the mess, the scent nearly overwhelming his own gag reflex.

That was it! He was so done with Starfleet!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"There she is!" For some reason Pavel couldn't fathom he was suddenly being pulled away from the object of their search and into a shop doorway. "Why are we hiding?" Pavel wondered aloud as Hikaru peeked around the corner, holding Pavel's shoulders against the door jamb and drawing the eyes of the shop matron.

"Hiding? We're not hiding. We're simply observing from a vantage point that provides us the opportunity to see without being seen."

"Can I at least see her?" Pavel asked patiently. Why did he have to be such an idiot when it came to his friends. He'd been having the nicest time with Leonard and Joanna. Hikaru shook him by his shoulders. "Get that gooey look off your face. He's old enough to be your father."

"He is not!" He protested loudly enough to draw the odd look or two from passersby.

"Then why aren't you making a move?" Hikaru argued, keeping an eye out for his elusive prey.

"I will, when the time is right."

"Like it wasn't right at last year's Christmas party, or when we got trapped on that mining colony in the Beltane system, or the dozen other times after that."

"I will know when it is right. It's like the Russian proverb says, 'You can't hurry love. You just have to..." Another jerk on his shoulder had them through the shops doors. Hikaru rushed to a table of knickknacks trying to feign innocence as a group of young men and women passed by the shop. Pavel rolled his eyes before turning to watch the group pass. They were talking excitedly and sharing treats they'd purchased in the market. Hikaru shuffled to his side after the group had disappeared down the corridor. "Well, what did you think?"

"Jamal was the one with Yeoman Price?"

"Yep, that was her?" Hikaru's eyes went unfocused as a lascivious smile grew from the corners of his mouth. "She looks really good in her uniform, don't you think?"

"I'm going back to the ship."

"Hey, wait, what? You didn't tell me what you thought!"

"I think she seems like a lovely girl. A lovely girl, whose rank and position make it nearly impossible for you to make a move without risking your career."

Hikaru's face fell dramatically, forcing Pavel to soften. "But if you think she's worth the risk, you should go for it!"

"No, no you're right. She's my Yeoman and direct report; it wouldn't look good if something went wrong."

How was it that he had managed to become the doomsayer in this endeavor? "Hikaru, you are my dearest friend and whatever you decide to do I will be there to support you."

Hikaru's shoulders stiffened as he lifted his chin out of the depressive funk it had been sinking into, "I'm a man of action. I've made my decision. And that is what I am going to do. At least I'm not going spend years torturing my friends mooning over someone who barely notices I'm alive."

He swallowed hard, clenching his jaw to keep his emotions in check. "Is that what you think?" The words sounded more pathetic than he intended.

"No, not really. Don't listen to me, I'm being a jerk. But Pavel, as your friend, I think I should tell you that you need to make a move at some point. I'm sure there's has to be a Russian proverb about "_Time waiting for no man,_" and man, your time might be passing you by."

Hikaru patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him and out onto the thoroughfare. The shop matron shot him a stony look, probably due to their abuse her space and time, so Pavel quickly followed him out and went to find Keenser.

* * *

"I'm not doing it! You don't bid someone a fond farewell for abandoning their job!" Scotty clapped his hand on the tabletop hard enough to make waves in their shot glasses.

"Scotty, he's your friend. You've worked and lived together for years. If you don't get your lazy ass out of that seat and say something to him before he goes you're going to regret it."

"Me!" Scotty looked thoroughly scandalized. Which considering some of the some of the situations Jim had seen him in, seemed a bit of an anachronism. "He's the one that's gonna to be regretting their decisions. Ya' know he thinks he's going to be a movie star. He thinks he's the next freaking Adonis Skybourne and that someone's gonna pluck him outta obscurity to star in their next blockbuster!" Scotty was leaning across the table heavily, as though he could use the force of his physical presence to impress upon Jim the truth of his words. "You can't believe that's it me that's gonna be regrettin' anything!"

Scotty pulled back taking a look around the nearly empty pub. "Not that I care."

Jim wondered if the table was too flimsy to knock him unconscious if he smashed his forehead against it. This was the last thing he needed. "Fine. Well, I'm going to go see my friend off." Jim stood leaning toward Scotty, forcing their eyes to meet. "Is there **_anything _**you want me to say to him?" Scotty hummed noncommittally, "I guess you could tell him not let the door hit him in the arse as he leaves."

* * *

"Bones, thank God!" Jim had never been more relieved to see anyone in his life. "I'm thinking of... Oh! Hey there kiddo! Didn't see ya'." His relief was quickly followed by self-recrimination. He'd been ready to make a joke about throwing himself out of an airlock in front of a kid who had just lost her mother. Said kid eyed him with a suspiciously raised eyebrow, which reminded him of Spock, which reminded him of Nyota, which reminded him of how truly grateful he was to have his friend back.

"Jo, take these credits and buy a few treats for the ship." Jo's attention was quickly diverted from his flailing as she grabbed the credits and wandered over to a nearby shop that offered enough candy options to make his teeth ache in sympathy. "You're an idiot. You know that, right."

"Don't hold back Bones. Tell me what you really think," Jim didn't need to fake the indignity in his voice.

"You're losing a member of your crew over a childish argument. Scotty's under your command. Order him to apologize."

He looked down at his shoes as he rocked back on his heels, "I did, but Scotty says Keenser insisted that an apology given as a result of an order wasn't a real apology, which just started a whole other argument that got out of hand. I decided, maybe, if I let them have some time apart cooler heads might prevail and they'd figure it out for themselves."

Bones huffed annoyed, "And how's that working out for you."

"Not great admittedly, but at this point I think it's what needs to happen." They watched Jo as she browsed the glass case of brightly-colored treats. "Are you going to see him off?"

Bones grimaced slightly, "Nah, Jo doesn't know him and we have a few things to buy before we officially board. Pavel's sending my well-wishes."

"Pavel is it?" Jim shot Bones a grin.

"Get your mind outta the gutter, Captain. We just ran into each other and had lunch. Jo's mad about him, of course."

Jim had to fake a cough to hide his laughter, "That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. You can never make fun of me over Nyota and Spock again."

"Did I hear my name?" Jim jumped as Nyota all but floated over to Bones for a welcome home hug. She'd seemed so serene since the bonding ceremony. Jim had been trying his best to keep his distance since they came back from their very brief honeymoon, but it seemed like every time he turned around he was running into one of them.

They had scheduled two weeks leave for after the ceremony, but decided to cut their plans short as to not leave the _Enterprise_ understaffed. Though, to be honest Jim would have enjoyed the reprieve.

"Nyota Uhura T'whatever-the-hell your name is! You are a sight for sore eyes!" Bones enthused as he wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"It's good to see you too, Leonard," She said pulling back from the hug with a soft, sad smile on her lips. "We missed you so much at the ceremony."

"I'm sorry I missed it, but I'm sure you have some amazing holos that will make it feel like I was there the whole time." Bones said tipping his head in a gentlemanly manner.

Jim gave Bones an eye-roll. The big liar, he didn't want to see any holos. He straightened automatically as Nyota turned to face him. "I will. If Jim ever finishes editing them." Nyota eyed him pointedly as a flush crawled across Jim's face. He had been putting Nyota off for a couple of days now.

"Are you going to see Keenser off?" She said at last, offering him a way out the awkward apology he was formulating for making her wait for a holo she knew he could produce in just a few hours. He was sure if he could get some holos from the other wedding guests he would be able to create something fit for Spock and Nyota's consumption. Not the sentimental piece of drivel he'd managed to string together thus far.

"Uh, well, yeah," Jim looked to Bones for an excuse to stay, but only got a knowing grin in return. That's what Jim got for rolling his eyes at him.

"Walk with me?" Nyota said, offering her arm. Jim took it, because not to take it, would have made him look like a total dick. "We'll see you back on board," Nyota tipped her head to Bones as she began to escort Jim to the docking bay for the commercial vessel Keenser had booked for Earth.

"We should all have a nice dinner when you and Jo are up for company," she offered over her shoulder as they walked away. He saw Bones throw up a hand before going to join Jo at the candy shop display.

"You really wanna subject that poor kid to Spock's cooking?" Jim kept his posture tight so as to maintain a decent space between them. "I said we. I thought as the Captain, you might host a small gathering."

"Oh! Oh, sure that'd be cool."

"Once Joanna gets more settled, of course."

Jim shook his head considering Nyota's words. Wondering how long it would be before Jo felt like socializing with a bunch of Starfleet officers, who _weren't_ dashing young Russians.

"We should have dinner soon. Spock was just mentioning that you'd turned him down for chess twice in the past week and you haven't been to Yoga once since I came back."

Yeah, that's what his screwed up libido needed, Nyota stretching and bending in front of him and Spock giving him small smiles across a chess board. He knew it probably seemed like he was dumping his friends now that they had married, but for now, time and distance would probably be best for all involved. Even if all involved, didn't know why it was best.

"I'll catch a game with Spock once everything gets settled on board and we're back out on mission. And, I'm practicing in my room to keep my flexibility so when I come back to class you won't have to manhandle me so much."

Nyota laughed, "I actually don't mind bending you to my will, believe it or not."

Jim felt his flush return as Nyota led them down the corridor. When they reached their destination, he was glad to see that several members of the crew had shown up to say their fare-thee-wells. It would help Keenser to understand how important he was to the ship and provide a buffer between himself and Nyota.

* * *

He nodded his thanks to the well-wishers from the_ Enterprise_ as he heeded the boarding call for his flight. He felt proud that the Captain, himself, had seen fit to see him off and say goodbye. Several crewmembers had done the same, as well as, pass along messages from those who couldn't make it. He knew that should have made him happy. And, it did, he was happy and excited and he didn't care if stories of young humanoids going to Hollywood and becoming intergalactic stars were all 'horse shite'. He would be the exception.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Captain," Spock greeted as he stood at attention.

"Spock," Jim couldn't help the smiling when he saw his first officer. There was just something about the controlled way that Spock stood from the Captain's chair when he came on the bridge that made Jim want to push him back down and kiss him senseless.

"I trust that Lt. Keenser's send-off was satisfactory." Spock said, as he moved to allow Jim the Captain's chair.

"As satisfying as it could be considering we're losing a damn fine engineer. I swear Spock I have never met two more stubborn beings." Jim rubbed at the back of his neck trying to work some of the tension out before they started undocking the ship and set course for their next assignment. Some good old fashion mapping sounded appealing right now.

He started at the warm thumb that joined the fingers at the back of his neck. He froze as he processed the fact that the only person close enough to touch him was his first officer. His first officer, whose thumb at that precise moment was digging into his trapezius in the most mind bindingly painful, yet pleasurable way. The muscle had no option but to loosen under the force of Spock's hand.

He let out a sigh and became aware of several sets of eyes watching them from the helm and science stations. "Thank you, Mr. Spock!" Jim jerked forward and away from Spock's hand as he turned his attention to Ensign Rizzo. "Course laid in for the Deneb system?" His voice was full of command and Rizzo responded promptly, turning back to his work station.

Spock moved to his station quietly, taking his place as the crew busied themselves with their work. Jim took a chance and glanced quickly to the science station. Spock looked unperturbed, but who was he kidding, this was Spock. Spock, who never touched anyone, if he could avoid it. What had he been thinking touching Jim like that in front of the crew? He'd only been bonded for a short time and he knew how the crew gossiped. By the time Gamma came off shift in the morning, it would be all over the ship that he'd been seen arm and arm with Nyota on the station one minute and getting a neck rub from Spock the next. No wonder he was losing his mind.

* * *

"Hello Pavel," Leonard wavered in the door as he studied Pavel's bright smile. A part of him wanted to invite Pavel in to join them for dinner, but it had been Jo's first day at school and he didn't want company to distract them from talking about her experience.

Pavel's smile faded somewhat, "The music lessons?" Pavel prompted, forcing Leonard's brow to draw together. "Joanna said...," Pavel pointed into Leonard's quarters, obviously as lost as he was.

"Pavel, you're here!" Jo sounded joyous as she literally bounced through the room. "Come on, we're getting ready to have dinner and we can start our lessons."

"Hey," Joanna grabbed Pavel's hand pulling him past Leonard and into their quarters, "do foods have Russian names?

"Well, it depends," Pavel looked back to him as Jo pulled him along, clearly unsure of his welcome. "Jo, darlin, don't you think you should get settled in at school before picking up any extra-curriculars?"

"No," She replied as she forced Pavel into a chair.

Well, that was that, he supposed.

"I didn't replicate enough food..," He tried, hoping Pavel would take the opportunity to excuse himself from the meal.

"I added an extra serving while you changed into you pajama's." Jo reassured.

Oh shit! He looked down at his loose jogging pants and t-shirt. It was way too little armor if he was going to have to deal with Pavel being so Goddamn appealing and in his space for any length of time. He looked up in time to see Pavel's eyes travel down his body, stopping at his bare feet for a moment before traveling back up. There was definitely a look in his eyes that Leonard didn't want to think about too much.

"I'm a little cold. Think I'll grab a sweater," He said, ducking back in his bedroom. Never let it be said that Leonard McCoy allowed pride to get in the way of practicality. The more clothes he had on, the better.

He leaned his weight against the door for a moment before heading to his closet. He wondered briefly if anyone would notice if he changed pants or put on socks. Well, he had said he was cold. Thicker socks and pants would be a logical choice. God! Now he was sounding like Spock. He did have a really nice pair of jeans he hadn't worn in a while. Which made him wonder if Pavel had ever seen him in them? Dammit! He was not a teenage girl and was not dressing to impress anybody. He stalked over to his closet, pulling a pair of office blacks off the hanger. After Pavel left, Jo was gonna get a good talking too about inviting guests over.

* * *

"Chocolate Chip Cookies is pronounced, skokaladnoye pechen'ye," Jo faithfully repeated the words before biting into her dessert. Despite the distraction of language lessons through dinner, Leonard had managed to learn that Jo had recruited Pavel for music lessons after deciding that she just had to join the ship's upcoming USO performance with her class. He'd heard something from Jim about a group that would be putting on a show for the crew, but had been too distracted with his return to duty to really process Jim's words.

Jo's class had decided to perform as a band, with Jo volunteering to play drums. The problem, of course, is that Jo had never played drums. Fortunately, she knew just the man to recruit.

"You play the drums?" Leonard didn't mean to sound skeptical, but he'd never seen Pavel so much as drum his fingers against a desk.

Pavel smiled, ducking his head, "A few friends and I in high school started a band. We were The Obez'yany because we were wild." He offered as his neck turned a deep red that traveled to the tips of his ears.

"Oh, I bet you were," Leonard offered with a mock seriousness.

"We only played together a few times, but it was fun." Pavel's neck was still scarlet, as he spoke, but Leonard could see that it was a good memory.

"When I was in high school the cool thing was gaming clubs. I became a Grand Wizard in 'Lairs of Avalon'." Leonard boasted with a smirk, feeling vindicated at Jo's put upon sigh.

"Dad! That is so embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? I'll have you know that the first time I met your mother she was sitting across a game table from me, kicking my club's rear end into the next millennia."

"Really?" Jo sat forward, "Is that how you fell in love?" He could feel cold crawling through his stomach as Jo and Pavel waited for his answer. It had been how they had met and eventually fallen in love, but the fact that they were two radically different people, with radically different views of life had destroyed what they felt for each other by the time Jo was taking her first steps. He looked at Pavel, who must have sensed his wariness at opening up that can of worms.

"I think," Pavel enthused, "That we should set up our drum system and start our first lesson, Miss Joanna, or we will have no time left to practice tonight."

Leonard busied himself putting their leftovers and utensils into the replicators for cleaning and storage as Jo and Pavel worked on setting up Jo's PADD with a drum program that would create a playable holo for her to learn on, until Pavel could get a set replicated.

Jo's attention was focused on Pavel as he explained how the system worked and how much practice she should do each day to help with muscle memory. "Soon it will be like second nature and you won't have to concentrate on the movements as much." Pavel explained as Jo gripped the virtual drum sticks and began to beat out a rhythm while Pavel counted.

It felt so...dangerously domestic that he had to swallow back a moment of panic. He'd have to be careful here. After all, growing too close to Pavel could go so wrong for Jo.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Hollywood was not as exciting as the newsfeeds made it out to be. Nor was it the mecca for talent it had purported. He had been to dozens of auditions and gotten no more than a "We'll call you," from any of them.

He had a MFA from Pace along with his degrees in Physics and Engineering, yet they tried to tell him that he couldn't pull off the role of a scientist sent to discover new life and love in the Andromeda system.

"Keenser!" He popped down from the seat he had just clamored into, passing a rather disturbed looking Tellarite as he came into the casting room. He handed the two humans behind the table a copy of his resume before coming to stand on his mark in the center of the room. He looked around while the humans thumbed through his photos, trying to guess what kind of production he was auditioning for. The call had been rather vague, only asking for non-human actors with flexible schedules.

His attention came back to the two humans who were now eyeing him critically. "So, Keenser, it says here that you're Roylan. That is something we don't see every day on this side of galaxy. Tell us about Roylans."

Tell them what. What did his species have to do with anything?

"So, I take it you're not body shy?" The male human pressed on.

He was not shy about his form in any way. Actually he was quite proud of his strength and agility. His chest puffed out in pride as the two humans communicated something with their eyes. "You're willing to do nudity, then?"

He'd been in several Theatre productions that had called for nudity and was not averse to the idea of doing the same for film but... One of the human's took a deep breath, bracing themselves it appeared, "And, how would you feel about engaging in sex on camera."

What? He might have to think about that a bit.

"We know, that wasn't in the call sheet, but it tends to turn performers off before we can even talk to them about the projects we have planned, or how exclusive our clientele is," He began to walk toward the door he had just entered through, "or the fact that some of our stars can make 10's of thousands of credits for just a few days of work a month." He stopped, turning slowly. He felt rather caught by the broad smiles that greeted him as he faced the two humans once more.

"Mr. Keenser, we think you could be our next star."

* * *

"Is this real sourdough bread?" Hikaru smiled as he lifted his head from the lunch plate Zahra had just given him. He usually powered through lunch, but Zahra had been particularly insistent that he take a break this evening. "Yeoman, there is no way the replicators made this."

Zahra smiled, but did not speak, lifting her eyebrows rakishly.

"You're not going to tell me?"

Zahra shrugged, "My mom grew up in San Francisco and she taught me how to make it."

"You made it?"

"Don't look at me like that. You said it was good a moment ago."

"It is. It's great! Thank you, Zahra, uh, Yeoman Jamal."

"I figured I had to do something before you starved to death." She offered as she took the chair across from him.

"You're not going to have any?"

"Me? Oh, no, I'm just going to sit sentry duty until you finish."

"I don't think that's..." He was cut off by the chirp of his communicator. He flipped the communicator open as Zahra eyed the half-eaten sandwich on his plate.

"Sir, there's a message from Starfleet." That was Reynolds, his comm officer.

"Well, it was great. Thanks again, Yeoman." Hikaru said taking one last bite before heading to the bridge.

* * *

"We received orders during Gamma shift last night diverting us to Starbase 27 to pick up an ambassadorial party bound for a rendezvous at a classified location just outside the border of the Romulan Neutral Zone." Jim looked at the questioning faces of his crew. He wasn't too enthusiastic about diverting from their mission and even less so about playing nursemaid to a group of politicians.

"We will host a reception to welcome the Ambassadorial Party upon their arrival, but with the short notice Starfleet isn't expecting us to provide a lot of entertainment, just a quick, safe transport."

"Spock, if you wouldn't mind getting the reception together. I'm sending you the bios for each member of the party."

"Of course, Captain." Spock was already reading the bios and would have them memorized by the time their discussion was through, no doubt.

"Mr. Spock will have your assignments and shift changes out by 1200 hours. If you have any questions or concerns let us know immediately." Jim nodded to each of his crew as they left to start their new assignments.

He noticed that Nyota and Spock had yet to move, quite noticeably hadn't moved as a matter of fact. "Is there something we need to discuss?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Spock and Nyota caught each other's eyes. Jim could sense that they were communicating across the bond they now shared and felt a stab of hurt at being excluded. "There is something of a personal nature we wish to discuss Jim, perhaps after the reception?"

"After dinner drinks in your cabin?" Nyota added looking more confident than Spock that Jim would agree. And who was he kidding, anyway? Of course, he would agree. It had been killing him to say 'no' when one of them had asked him for anything. Together he could refuse them nothing and judging by their use of a joint attack they were well aware of his weakness.

"Sure. After the reception, my cabin, drinks," He gave them a quick nod before grabbing his PADD and making haste for the bridge. A part of him wanted to go ahead and discuss whatever it was Spock and Nyota wanted to talk about now. But another part of him, the part of him that had been running since before he could walk, wanted to put as much distance between himself and whatever personal matters Spock and Nyota needed to discuss with him, as possible.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

He hated politicians. No, not hate, loathed was a better word. Loathed them sounded just about right. He was glad Jo had shown no interest in attending the loathsome event he had just left. Glad-handing a bunch of politicos was not how he wanted to spend his evening either. The only good thing about having been required to attend the event was the excuse it gave him to avoid Pavel.

Not that he wanted to avoid Pavel, which was the problem. He really hated it when he thought in circles. Probably too much time spent with politicians. His cabin would indeed be a welcome oasis by now. Jo would be in bed and he could have a drink and relax. He was already smiling thinking about the smooth burn the bourbon he had stashed in his desk and how nice it would feel to get out of this monkey suit.

He had his shirt half unbuttoned as the door to his quarters slid open to reveal that all was not as he had hoped it would be.

"Hello Leonard," Pavel greeted from the floor of his cabin where he was putting the finishing touches on a drum kit.

"I thought they were keeping the drum kit in the theatre," He said confused.

"Oh, they are. I made this one for Joanna. I was going to wait till Christmas, but Hikaru said it had to be out of our quarters or he was going to kick it in, so I thought I would make it an early Christmas present." Pavel looked so happy and proud as he spoke. The look fading as Leonard continued to look at the kit taking up a good portion of his living room.

"She seems to really enjoy playing and I thought...,"

"It's too much, Pavel." He didn't want to be rude, but that had to cost several hundred credits at least. "A kid Jo's age goes through phases, sure she enjoys it now, but next week she'll be on to something different."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overstep," Pavel kept his eyes down as he lifted himself from the floor, "It's just something we enjoy doing together. I've been helping the whole class as they've been practicing."

"But you're not buying them instruments or having dinner with them every night," Leonard hated the way Pavel seemed to be shrinking as he spoke, but it was probably for the best.

He'd been indulging Jo and he had to admit, himself to, by allowing Pavel into their lives over the past few weeks. But it was always with the understanding that after the performance and lessons were done Pavel would go own with his life and he and Jo with theirs. This wasn't the gift of someone who saw this as a temporary arrangement.

"No, I'm not, but, well..." Pavel began to pick up the few tools he had scattered across the floor. "You are tired from your party. I programmed some tea in the replicator for you. It's very calming," Pavel wouldn't meet his eyes as he spoke. As much as he lamenting growing older at least time had brought him wisdom. He'd been young once too and making excuses trying explain away the things he didn't want to accept.

"I'm not tired, Pavel and I'm pretty much always cranky. It's just..." At the soft note in his voice Pavel ceased fidgeting with his tool case. His eyes were wide when they met Leonard's, waiting.

He couldn't let himself back down now. "I don't think you should come around so much anymore." Pavel's stomached concaved almost as though Leonard had landed a physical blow. He stepped closer on instinct, pulling his hand back when he realized he was reaching out for Pavel. A part of him wanted to offer comfort, but if he put his hands on Pavel, he might do something foolish.

Pavel reeled back from him, taking a wide path around Leonard and out the door without saying so much as a _do svidaniya_.

He was glad he had saved that bourbon. He would definitely need more than one drink to get some sleep tonight.

* * *

Why had he thought this was a bad idea? Sure, he felt a little stab of jealousy when Nyota and Spock shared a touch of hands or the occasional look that communicated something that Jim wasn't privy too, but it was worth it to have time with the two people he cared for the most in this world. He'd been dreading this evening for no reason.

"Let's watch the wedding holo!" Nyota enthused picking up Jim's PADD from his desk to send the files to the viewer in his room. Okay, now he remembered one of the reasons he'd been avoiding Nyota and Spock like they had a case of Alarian mites. He reached toward the PADD, "You've already seen it," he tried as Nyota managed to side-step him.

"The one you filmed. Not the one you spliced with Christine's."

He watched nervously as his room's viewer went online and Spock took a seat. He indicated that Jim should join him by tipping his head at the seat next to him. Jim pictured himself squeezed in the space between Spock and Nyota growing uncomfortable at their closeness as the holo played. He took the chair next to the loveseat instead. Spock gave him a look that Jim would have interpreted as wounded, if not for the fact that Jim had done nothing to merit such a reaction.

Nyota sat next to Spock shooting Jim a curious look as the holo started. Maybe he'd been overreacting to the footage? Maybe everything would be just fine?

* * *

Hikaru stood at attention as Ambassador Thornton entered the bridge. He had requested a tour after the reception this evening and the Captain had entrusted him to show the Ambassador how they managed to keep the _Enterprise_ is top shape 24/7.

"Lieutenant Commander," The Ambassador greeted as he exited the lift. "Permission to enter the bridge?" The ambassador seemed to be your usual political type, always smiling like he was just moments away from having his picture taken. "Permission granted, Ambassador." He made a sweeping gesture as he walked to the Ambassador, indicating that they would start their tour of the bridge by stepping to the right and into the bridge's science station.

He had made it through communications and the bridge's engineering controls before he noticed that the Ambassador's attention seemed to have drifted. Hikaru followed his gaze sure that something outside the view screen had distracted the Ambassador.

Zahra must have sensed that she was being watched, because she chose that moment to look up from the PADD she had been working on. A smile quickly lit her face before fading as she adjusted her position and refocused her attention to her PADD. "I'm glad to see Starfleet keeps everything a man could need out here, close at hand." The ambassador commended.

Hikaru was glad that his years of combat training had included learning to keep his anger in check. "If I could direct your attention to the helm, Ambassador."

"After you, Mr. Sulu." Now he knew why everyone always complained about politicians, self-indulgent asses.

"Yes, it's all very interesting, but I'm afraid it is getting a little late for me, Mr. Sulu. Do you have a place a man can get a little night cap before I retire for the night."

"We can have a drink in my ready room, if you like. I just have to speak with my helmsman." He nodded to Zahra, knowing that she had been keeping an ear out for their conversation. She sat her PADD at her work station and led the Ambassador into the Ready Room. She would make sure the Ambassador was taken care of and that their drinks were replicated and waiting by the time he arrived.

He gave Reynolds the Helm and made for the Ready Room, once the order was acknowledged and the crew made the necessary position shifts.

"Ambassador, I hope..." He froze as the door swished closed behind him. His eyes traveled from the Ambassador's back to Zahra's shocked face, to the hand on her arm quickly, but his mind was processing what he was witnessing slowly enough that Zahra was able to take a few steps back from the Ambassador and toward the conference room table before he was able to complete his sentence, "I hope that Yeoman Jamal has kept you in good company." He said slowly as he took the seat across from the Ambassador. Zahra had remembered his preference for Hot Tea and had replicated a cup for each of them.

"Your Yeoman's suggestion," the Ambassador gave Zahra what he probably thought passed for a charming smile as he tipped his cup towards her. Zahra bowed her head quickly, before catching Hikaru's eyes. He could tell that she had something to say by the set of her lips, but whatever it was, she apparently decided to keep to herself as she left the room to go back to her duties on the bridge.

* * *

He hadn't been overreacting. As a matter of fact he'd made a serious mistake by not destroying his original footage in the first place. He couldn't have looked more like a love sick moron, if he had tried. His face was hot with anger and embarrassment as he struggled to make it through to the end of the holo.

Nyota had turned to him first, followed by Spock, who'd had to sit forward slightly to make eye contact with him. "Jim?" Spock's words were spoken softly as though he thought Jim was a child or a wild animal.

"You know what? I didn't want to show you the damn holo anyway. So, I don't really want to hear..." He was standing and walking toward the door as he spoke. Nyota called out for him to stop, but he couldn't face them right now. He felt too raw, too exposed and… damn it! He rush out of his own cabin, like a man on fire and didn't stop moving until he reached the safety of the lift.

* * *

"Hello, Jim," Bones sounded more than a little tipsy. Jim was amazed that he'd managed to answer the door without falling over or passing out.

"Hey, Bones, you wouldn't happen to have any more of that?" Jim said, eyeing the empty bottle on Bones' side table.

Bones took a long, slow look at the empty bottle, before turning back to Jim. "For you kid, I do."

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"I know what you're thinking. What's a girl like me doing in a guy like this?" Carol's grin was broad as her thrusts slowed.

To be honest, that hadn't been what he had been thinking. He'd mostly been trying to determine how a Tellarite could accommodate the harnessed phallus that Carol was presently using to penetrate his anus without incurring any internal damage. Size-wise it was nearly the circumference of his lower limb and the length was rather impressive.

Said male grumbled a complaint forcing Carol to refocus her efforts. She slapped his backside as she began thrusting eagerly. The director focused on her efforts allowing him a moment to relax. Being the focus of the film was something of burden. Always being 'on' during the long days of shooting had been trying and having to stay hydrated proved challenging with the amount of lubrication he'd been producing for his scenes, though his co-stars had been appreciative.

His sat back as his new 'Queen' proceeded to conquer her subjects. To be honest, he'd lost the thread of the story, but the producers seemed pleased with his work. It was nice to be appreciated. He refocused his attention as their captured 'Prince' knelt before Carol pledging his undying devotion to her as his new Queen.

The director called for a cut and after a round of applause Carol threw herself down next to him, landing heavily in the throne they shared. "Thank God! I thought I was going to throw my back out." She began to work on the couplings that fastened the phallus to her frame. He scooted closer to assist her in removing the device.

"Do you want to grab some dinner?" She asked as one of set hands came to take the phallus to cleaning services. They would have to leave soon to allow for the breakdown of the set. They only had one day of shooting left and most of those scenes were to take place on the bedchamber set.

"Indian sounds good, don't you think?" He nodded, Indian sounded delicious. "Get a few beers in me and I'll tell you all my dirty little secrets," she purred pulling the bejeweled crown off his head and handing to their costumer, laughing as he smoothed his scales down where she had ruffled them out of place

He hoped he didn't look as eager as he felt at the thought of hearing Carol's story. He had readily shared his reasons for leaving Starfleet, even if they had started to seem small compared to all that Starfleet had given him, and he was curious why a woman who had spent nearly her whole life enmeshed in Starfleet would leave it behind for work, that he could tell, she found unfulfilling.

He took her hand when she offered it. He was glad that they had built such a rapport and seemed to be building a friendship. He missed having friends at work and he was sure Carol would be as wonderful a dinner partner as she was a co-star.

* * *

"Hey Jo..." The door to Jo's room closed behind her. She hadn't even acknowledged his existence. This was getting ridiculous. He was going to have a talk with her right now.

Pavel had been kind enough to send a note, copied to Leonard, saying that he had enjoyed giving her private lessons, but that his work duties had changed and she would need to continue on her own with her lessons, leaving drums as an early Christmas gift.

She had seemed to take the news fine the first few days; writing back to thank him for the lessons and the drums and hoping that his busy schedule wouldn't keep him away from their performance. Pavel had replied back with a quick note wishing her luck and promising to attend the show, but Leonard, and as far as he knew Jo, hadn't from him since.

He didn't think Pavel would say anything to upset Jo, but she had definitely been giving him the cold shoulder lately. He'd allowed it for a few days, but well, they couldn't go on like this any longer.

"Jo?" The door slid open at his approach, but he didn't want to invade her space without warning. He heard a disgruntled huff from a mass of pillows and blankets, before a sullen sounding, "Yeah," made it to his ears.

"I think we need to talk, don't you?" Leonard leaned an arm against the door panel to prevent it from closing on him.

He saw the pile of blankets move as Jo's blond hair peeked out, followed by a downturned mouth.

"I know you're upset about Jr. Lt. Chekov, but don't you think this is taking it a little far?"

The downturned lips were joined by her brows, as confusion replaced the sullen look on her face, "You mean, Pavel?"

She finished digging herself out of the pile of blankets as Leonard readied himself for her anger, "What is there to be upset about?"

"What is there to…? Aren't you upset about Pavel not being around anymore?"

"Well, a little, I guess, but that's…" She hesitated flinging herself back dramatically on the bed, "I'm not upset, dad. You wouldn't understand." She was looking at the ceiling as she spoke.

"Why don't you try me kiddo? I might understand more than you think."

Jo sighed dramatically, "It's just..., I'm in love."

So, they were talking about Pavel? He knew letting Jo get close to him was a mistake and now his little girl was going through her first bought of love-sickness.

"Jo, honey," He moved out of the door and let it close behind him as he went to take the corner of Jo's bed, "I know right now it seems like the end of the world."

"Dad, don't. I know it's stupid and I'm too young and all that jazz. I just..." Jo turned to him, "It's just…I'm going to miss him."

Okay, that was his fault. "You'll see him at the concert and around the ship."

Jo looked confused again, "He's leaving, dad."

He was standing before he realized it, "What? Where?"

Jo pulled herself into a sitting position, "His mom got reassigned?"

Something wasn't computing, "What does that have to do with...?" Ko, from the Science department had just been reassigned. Ko, who had a 14 year-old son named Sam on board with her.

"Oh! Ko! Sam!" Leonard sat back down quickly, embarrassed about his assumption and his reaction. "You've got a crush on Sam?"

Jo flung herself back indignantly. Looking at the ceiling and quite purposefully avoiding Leonard's gaze. "Dad, it's not a crush! I told you. I'm in love with him." The fire in her voice died as she continued, "And he doesn't even know."

Leonard lay back on the bed, so that their shoulders touched, "Do you want him to know?"

"Yeah, I think...I think it's important he knows." He could hear the sadness in her voice. He knew that the suddenness of Jeanie's death was probably influencing Jo's need to confess her feelings, but he couldn't really think of a convincing argument that wouldn't make it sound like he was encouraging her to hide her feelings, something that could backfire as she continued to work through the loss of her mother.

"Well, Ko's human, definitely not psychic, so there's really only one way that's gonna happen. You gotta tell him how you feel."

Jo squirmed uncomfortably, "I've thought about it, but, well, I've got to be smooth about it -you know?"

He felt his mouth turn down as he considered a smooth way to declare one's love. "You could always try flowers or poetry."

"Dad!" She shoved her shoulder into his. He couldn't see her eye roll, but knew it was there all the same.

"Hey, I might be old-fashioned, but the classics never go out of style." He argued, half-joking.

Jo sat up suddenly, "The Concert!" He lifted himself onto his elbows as she jumped to her feet. "I'll ask Mr. Lauren if I can do a solo and dedicate it to him!"

"Music, also a classic."

Jo jumped up and down in place, giving him a peck on the cheek as she ran over to the drum set she had been ignoring for the last few days. Seeing the enthusiasm in her face as she picked up her sticks reminded him of Pavel's face when he'd been practicing with Jo.

"What's the matter? You don't think it's a good idea?" He shook whatever look was causing Jo's concern off his face and replaced it with a broad smile. "I think Sam's gonna love it. Now, let's pull up some music files and find a drum solo that'll blow him off his feet."

* * *

"I just..." Carol hesitated poking at the last bits of rice and sauce on her plate, "I couldn't deal with being in Starfleet after losing Dad and no one would tell me what happened or about the project he was working on. I had to get as far away as possible and I ended up here. No credits, no talents that would transfer to a civilian job, unless I wanted to betray Starfleet." She let her fork drop as her eyes came to meet his, "You're very easy to talk to, you know that."

He held out his hand to her. It was obvious that the loss of her father had devastated her and that Starfleet's reticence in sharing the details of that loss had been a difficult blow, but Carol's work was important and Starfleet was one of the few places that beings like her, beings like him, could work for the good of the Federation and find a purpose in life beyond their individual needs. He felt his heart drop. He'd made a huge mistake.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

He let his breath blow through his slightly parted lips in a slow, controlled stream. It was doing wonders for his nerves. Spock had taught him the technique when Jim had dabbled with meditation, before trying Yoga with Nyota. He'd found the physicality of asanas did more to calm his nerves than sitting with his thoughts. Though the time he'd spent with Spock had definitely been worth the sore knees. He had to take another calming breath after that thought sent his mind into a completely inappropriate direction.

His cabin door buzzed, "Damn," He hissed before clamping his mouth shut. A human would not have heard it, but if it was Spock. So far, his 'I don't want to talk about it's,' had been respected, but he knew that at some point they were going to have to talk about it.

Bones had suggested he get some counseling to sort out his feelings and help him to come to a resolution that would bring him some peace so he could move on...but he didn't... couldn't.., he wasn't ready to let go of the feelings he had for Nyota or for Spock, not yet.

He heard murmuring outside his door. It was Nyota and Spock. They had tried speaking to him several times since that night, but he'd used the excuse of the mission and planning for the upcoming celebrations to avoid taking the time to talk.

His door chimed. Maybe he could crawl out of a Jefferies tube and find his way into the hall?

"Jim! Spock knows your override code!" And Nyota knows the override codes for all the comms on the ship. He straightened himself from the defensive posture he'd assumed when Nyota's voice had boomed through his cabin.

Spock wouldn't use the code, but Nyota knew he was here and she was apparently ready to have it out now. He straightened his uniform, feeling a bit like a man going before the firing squad and went to greet them at his door.

Spock was whispering to Nyota as Jim opened the door. They pulled apart, both watching him intently, "Hey," He licked his suddenly dry lips, "I thought we'd see each other at the show."

Spock opened his mouth, and then closed it quickly back as Nyota elbowed him. She brought her PADD up to her chest and tapped the center of the PADD to start the Notes program.

Jim quirked his head to the side as he read the large print note that opened on the PADD.

_Since you don't want to talk. _

The screen flipped.

_Or even listen to us._

_Which let's be honest…,_

_Do you ever?_

Jim fought the tug at the corner of his mouth. What the hell was happening?

_But we had to let you know_

_that to us..._

_You are family._

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief. They couldn't be saying what he thought they were saying.

_And no matter what you decide,_

_we will always love you._

"Decide?" Holy Shit! He felt his mouth hanging opened and closed it.

"James Tiberius Kirk, would you do Nyota and me the honor of completing our family and joining with us?"

His mouth was open again, but he couldn't muster the mental power to close it this time.

"It won't work," Jim spat, "It never does." He'd had plenty of threesomes, but humans and Vulcans were species that generally paired off and it took everything for most couples to make that work. "We'll fight and..."

"And comfort each other," Nyota was right, they did have the tendency to take care of one another when one of the three of them was in danger or upset with the other, but that was different.

"You really want to share your husband," He turned an accusing finger at each of them, "or your wife with **me **sexually?"

"We are most agreeable to the idea, Jim." Spock said as Jim choked on his own tongue.

"Take your time, Jim. We know it's sudden for you and a big decision. We just thought you should know and we've been trying to tell you since the wedding..."

"The wedding?"

"When Nyota and I joined our minds we discovered in one another our mutual desire," Spock looked to Nyota, "and love… for you. It had been the cause for some concern on both our parts before the wedding,"

"But once we knew, it all just seemed to fit."

Jim nodded at Scotty as he passed, giving Jim a curious look over Nyota's shoulder. He couldn't believe they were talking about this in the corridor.

"We will let you finish your preparations for the evening, Jim." Spock said in deference to the up tic in traffic as the crew started to make their way to the show.

Nyota and Spock locked arms, turning to walk toward the lift. They were two cabins down before Jim came to his senses and chased them down the hall. "Spock! Nyota!"

They turned to him. Nyota's face growing more delighted as he crashed into them. "Yes!" He kissed Nyota's cheek, "Yes!" and Spock's, "Yes, a thousand times." He looked at the two amazing people in front of him, wishing there was some way to beg off the evenings events so he could drag them back into his cabin.

He felt Spock stiffen slightly, "Not in front of the crew, Jim."

He released the hold he had on their shoulders, noting that they ended up hand in hand, blocking most of the corridor. "Let's go before Jim tries to pull us into the nearest cabin."

Whoa! They weren't even joined yet and Nyota was already reading his mind. "Jim, you are rarely subtle in your desires." Spock commented in a gentle, mocking tone.

Great now he was probably blushing, "Come on, let's go." He said pulling them through the corridor, the sooner they arrived at the show, the sooner they could leave.

* * *

He couldn't believe that he was so nervous. Jo had everything planned out with her teacher and had been practicing all week for her solo. Leonard had allowed her to be the tiniest bit dishonest with Mr. Lauren. But he was pretty certain telling Mr. Lauren that dedicating the performance to Sam as a way of saying farewell instead of a prelude to Jo professing her feelings for him was the only way her teacher would approve of her request.

"It looks like you've got a full house," He said sneaking a peek from behind the curtains lining the stage. Jim had authorized a skeleton crew on the bridge to give as many crew members as possible the chance to participate in the show. As a matter of fact, Bones noticed a certain one of those crewmen taking a seat just a few rows back. He was surrounded by several people including the very attractive woman, who had just been assigned as Jim's Yeoman. That was nice, good even. He felt a sense of resignation settle into his chest.

"How do I look, Dad?" Jo said as she emerged from the small dressing area they had set up behind the stage. She had teased her out and painted her eyes and lips in a shade of aqua that would have him cringing at any other time. "You look great, darlin. You're going to blow them away."

She serendipitously slid her eyes over to Sam, who was using some sort of gel to make his hair stand on end. Leonard winked at her. Sam would think she was looked great, too.

"I'll see you after the show," He said patting her shoulder and kissing her forehead lightly, before parting the curtains to find a seat.

He had planned on sitting with Jim, but he was flanked by Nyota and Spock, and... Okay it was dark in here, but it looked like they were holding each other's hands and Jim actually looked happy for once. "Huh?" That was unexpected, but maybe they could make it work.

But just in case he made a mental note to ask his brother for another a case of bourbon for his birthday.

* * *

"Wow! Jo killed it!" Jim exclaimed, patting his shoulders from the seat behind him, as the crowd stood to give the ovation for all of the evening's performers as they came on stage to take their final bows.

"She's been practicing like a maniac," Leonard shouted over the crowd, looking to the stage that was now being rushed by the crowd of smiling and happy people. He waved to Jo who was being congratulated by her teacher as he made his rounds. His eyes were still on Jo when Mr. Lauren lifted a hand to his mouth and announced, "And everyone be sure to give Sam Ko and Arianna Ko a big hug, they're leaving us for Earth in just a few minutes. His and Jo's eyes met across the crowded room. They had known Sam was leaving tonight, but hadn't realized that it would be so soon after the end of the show.

Jo went into action instantly, trying to push her way into the crowd growing around Sam, but she was so small and everyone was trying to get their last words into Arianna and Sam, who were already begging off the crowd for the door. Leonard was almost to the stage when he saw Pavel at Jo's shoulder clearly congratulating her on the performance. His joyous face falling when he saw her distress.

She pulled him down by his shirt sleeve cupping a hand to speak furiously into his ear. His face showed only a moment of shock before straightened and he jumped vertically using the shoulder of a nearby Ensign for balance as he attempted to see over the heads of the crowd to find Sam. Pavel shook his head at Jo, just as Leonard reached them. "I'm sorry Jo, honey. I think he's already gone."

Jo's entire frame nearly collapsed in disappointment. The flow of the crowd would get them out of the doors in just a couple of minutes, but Sam and his mother would be to the transporter room by then. "I know!" Pavel said, grabbing Jo's hand and pulling her in the opposite direction from the door. "We can use the transporter in the Cargo bay."

"Cargo bay? No, Jo!" Leonard lowered his voice when he realized that they had left the crowd behind enough that he no longer needed to shout over them.

His protest had either not carried to Pavel and Jo or they were ignoring him. He jogged to catch up as they made their way to a corridor that led to the cargo bay. He really should have a stronger will than this, but Jo was skipping excitedly at Pavel's side as they hurried down the hall.

The lift ride had been filled with Jo's nervous energy, which provided a welcome distraction from his proximity to Pavel. They hadn't spoken outside of work since... well, since Leonard had decided to do right by the boy and let him move on to someone more practical.

He had feeling he was being watched, but when he raised his head, Jo and Pavel were looking ahead to the cargo bay doors. The doors slid open as they arrived and Pavel took the comm. "Transporter Room, I have one," Leonard hopped on the pad next to Jo, "uh, two to beam over from the Cargo Bay."

There was a moment of silence from the other end of the comm. "I read you cargo bay, but we thought we only had one transport on the schedule. Who authorized...?"

"Had?" Pavel interrupted, "Have you transported the Ko's to the _Abrams_ already?"

"Who is this?" Said a tinny and suspicious-sounding voice. Pavel rolled his eyes dramatically, "It is Jr. Lt. Pavel Chekov." His eyes met Jo's with a mischievous smile that tugged at Leonard's heart and libido. He forced himself to derail that train of thought because it would lead nowhere good. "I have a delivery for the Ko's. Please send the coordinates and codes for the _Abrams_. The delivery is time sensitive."

"Negative, Jr. Lt. Chekov, as I'm sure you're aware you would need orders from the Captain to authorize such a transport."

Pavel switched off the panel, "I'll call Hikaru, he might," Pavel's eyes lit up, "Or you could use your medical override, Leonard, uhm, Doctor."

Okay, maybe this had gone far enough. He turned to Jo, leaning down till they were eye to eye, which turned out to be a mistake. The bright hopeful look on her face did him in near instantly. He nodded at Pavel, who switched on the comm. "This is Dr. Leonard McCoy, Command Authorization Code, Alpha, Beta 7-0-3, Medical Override. Give the Jr. Lt. those transport codes."

"Of course, Dr.," The voice chirped as Pavel began programming the comm. He had just enough time to give Pavel an appreciative smile before the _Enterprise_ dissolved from view.

The transporter personnel on the _Abrams_ looked expectantly at him as he and Jo materialized. Which was only logical, seeing as they were expecting a medical emergency of some sort.

"Jo?" Sam and his mother were gathering a few belonging from a storage area adjacent to the transporter. Thank God they were still here! Leonard didn't relish the idea of tracking them to their new quarters.

"Sam!" Jo stepped off the pad toward Sam, who took a few steps of his own to meet her. "I didn't get a chance to tell you how awesome you were tonight. It was... awesome."

"Thanks," Jo shrugged, "I just wanted to do something special for you, before you left."

Not exactly a grand declaration, but he wasn't sure what he had expected from a couple of teenagers, who, really, barely knew each other.

"Well," Sam adjusted the bag on his shoulder, "I'll miss you, Jo."

"You too, Sam," Jo said quietly, leaning forward and landing a quick kiss on Sam's cheek before turning and marching up the stairs to get back on the transporter pad. "You can send us back to the _Enterprise_," Jo said to a very confused Ensign, who shook his head a few times before tapping his comm screen and sending them back to a waiting Pavel.

* * *

"_Yah mai yo!_ Did it work?"

Jo smiled a quiet little smile as she floated off the transporter pad, "Yeah, I got to say goodbye. It was cool."

Leonard smiled at the dreamy quality of Jo's voice. God, how was he going to handle letting her grow up.

"I talked to Hikaru. He signed off on the authorization for us..." Pavel licked his lips as he ducked his head, "I mean, for you and Joanna."

Sulu was a pretty by the book man, if he signed off on Leonard's blatant abuse of power; it was only because Pavel had asked him too.

"Thank you, Pavel. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted too."

"I know. Thank you nonetheless." He said awkwardly. And now Jo was looking at him strangely, making him feel even more awkward. "I guess we should head back to the cabin."

"Can't we go to the crew party?" Jo asked, looking from him to Pavel.

"No, Joanna McCoy, you are not going to the crew party. That is a grown-up party and not for the likes of you. We'll have our celebration tomorrow." He looked back to Pavel, "You should go. Catch up with your friends." He hated the way Pavel's face fell at his suggestion.

"I, yes, I suppose I should." Pavel gave a small bow in Jo's direction and nodded at him before turning to leave. Leonard opened his mouth to say… something, fortunately his sense caught up with his mouth and he shut it tight as Pavel walked away.

* * *

The ship was rarely this quiet. He and Jo were strolling down the corridor hand-in-hand, taking their time getting back to their cabin. He was tempted to track down Jim after getting Jo in bed, but he was pretty sure that whatever the hell Jim was doing right now, the last thing he needed to was Leonard showing up with a bottle of bourbon and asking for a shoulder to lean on.

A heavy sigh escaped him as they turned the down corridor for their cabin.

"Dad?"

"Yes, darlin,"

"I like Pavel."

He stopped short and looked down at her, before resuming his stride. "Course ya' do. Everybody does."

"But I don't like him, like him, ya know."

"I know."

"Do you like him?"

"I just said that everybody did, that includes me."

"But...," Jo fell silent as the door to their cabin slid open, turning abruptly to block his passage.

"Dad, I'm okay."

"I know you're getting there, but that's not why..." He really didn't want to talk about this, but he couldn't let Jo think his decision to distance himself from Pavel was her fault.

"Dad, Sam's gone and I'm never going to see him again, probably, and it hurts, but it's okay and you'd be okay too, but if you never even try..." Jo seemed at a loss at how to continue, but she wasn't the first to tell Leonard that he needed to move on from his divorce and he'd tried several times over the years, but it never worked out. "Jo, I don't think this is an appropriate conversation for us to have."

"Pavel loves you, Dad." He knew that Pavel had feelings for him, "Jo, don't be melodramatic."

"He does and you're throwing it away!"

He was doing no such a thing. He was doing what was best for everyone, Pavel included. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Go to your room, Jo."

She stepped into the cabin, stomping toward her room. Leonard took a step to follow her in, but found himself hesitating. Pavel had a crush, a crush that Leonard returned, but still. Pavel's face the night he had asked him to leave flashed in his mind. The hurt he'd seen there. Leonard had felt like that before, as a matter of fact, it had been the night that Jeanie had asked him to leave. He'd felt so lonely that night and for many nights after –it was the reason he'd decided to join Starfleet –a way to escape. And it had worked. He'd been alone a lot since then, but he hadn't felt lonely, at least not until the last few weeks.

"Dammit!" Jo turned to him. He needed to talk to Pavel, and now, before he lost his nerve.

"Go to your room. I'll be back in a little bit." He pulled his foot out of the doorway, it suddenly felt leaden. Pavel would be at the crew party, he was sure of it, "Guess I'm going to the party after all."

* * *

He had just resettled into his seat on the bridge when he heard the lift doors open. Zahra stepped out looking quite breathtaking in her in civs. "Lt. Cmd. Sulu," She nodded.

"Yeoman Jamal," He replied formally.

"May I have a moment of your time?" Reynolds looked at him over her shoulder. Yeah, he was probably going to get it.

"Of course, Yeoman, my ready-room," He stood and felt Zahra fall in step behind him. He took a deep breath in time with the opening of the ready room doors to calm his nerves. Perhaps she wanted to thank him for the recommendation to Yeoman First Class and transfer to Alpha shift. Either way, he had every faith that he could bluff his way through this conversation much better than the conversation he'd had with Jim.

Jim had been uncommonly kind when Hikaru had asked for Jamal's transfer and even more so, when, after some prodding on Jim's part, he had admitted his reasons behind the sudden request. He'd also taken Hikaru's suggestion that she be posted to Helmsman-in-training. The promotion was well-deserved and one he'd been planning on making himself when shift changes came around in a couple of months.

Of course, he'd been hoping to be the one that taught Zahra how to pilot a starship, but he could see now that he'd never be able to maintain the professional distance needed to do so efficiently.

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?" Zahra stood at attention even though she was obviously off duty.

"Please," He gestured to the seat across. She declined with quick headshake.

"Why the hell did you transfer me?" Zahra's face showed the control he had always admired on deck, but her tone was angry.

"I promoted..."

"That's bull and you know it!" Zahra slapped her hands on his desk as she leaned toward him.

"I am still your superior."

"Nothing happened..."

"I know that! It wasn't about you!" He clenched his jaw tight. If he didn't watch himself, he'd be spilling his guts all over his ready room desk.

He saw her take a deep breath, "How could making a decision about my life, not be about me?"

"Zahra," He sighed, hoping that she would see his discomfort with talking about this topic. She lifted a brow expectedly. Dammit. "It was about my reaction to what happened," He hesitated, "I wasn't doing a very job of separating our professional and personal relationship."

"We don't have a personal relationship."

"I know. I'm not saying we do."

"But you want us too."

"I decided that it wouldn't be a prudent..."

"Prudent?"

"You're my Yeoman."

"I was your Yeoman."

"Exactly!"

"Exactly!"

Wait. What did she just say?

Zahra's brown eyes lit as the corner of her mouth turned up.

"Mr. Scott decided that he would forgo the party tonight. He hadn't realized that I had been reassigned and asked if you wanted to go to the party. I accepted his offer on your behalf."

"Are you asking me to attend the party with you?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but he had to be sure, "You know that I won't be able to bring you back to Gamma shift if...,"

"I know and I'll miss it, but yes, I'm asking."

He turned on his comm. "Mr. Scott?"

"Ai, Mr. Sulu?"

"It's my understanding that you're on your way to the bridge to relieve me."

"I'm on the lift as we speak."

"Thank you, Mr. Scott."

Zahra tilted her head waiting for his answer. As if she didn't know it already. He bit his bottom lip to stop the ridiculous smile threatening to break out all over his face, "I'd love too."

* * *

He didn't really care for the bridge. Engineering was really more his speed and to be honest everyone knew it was the real heart of the ship. Although, lately, it hadn't been. Not as much, anyway. Sure they were just as busy as they always were, but there was something.., "No," he hadn't meant to say that out loud. The officer at the helm, turned with a questioning look on her face.

"No changes to course, thank you Helmsman," The Ensign turned back to her station. He toyed with the comm station linked to the Captain's chair. He supposed he could send a subspace message to Keenser, just to check in and make sure he hadn't fallen through a hole in space or something. He hadn't heard from him since he left, not even a text.

"I'm gonna be in the Ready Room, if she starts falling out of the sky, call me."

* * *

That had been easier than he thought it would be. He'd had every intention of tracking down that annoying little..."Argh!" and he'd been planning to apologize to the traitor. "The _Hood!_ That bucket of rust!" He stood and he began to pace. How could he betray _Enterprise_ like that? He had he no loyalty! No pride!

He bent down to his comm unit and programmed a direct link to Keenser's cabin. He would give that little brat a piece of his mind.

* * *

It took a while for the transmission to pick up, so long that he was almost ready to end the call when a familiar face popped on screen. The indignant anger he felt began to fade as his dear friend's face showed surprise and such obvious pleasure at seeing him. "So, ya came back," His voice quivered slightly, but he forced a cough that he thought covered the sound well enough before continuing, "to Starfleet, I see."

Keenser's expression faded somewhat as he nodded. "You took an assignment on the _Hood_?" Keenser once again nodded. "You didn't want to come back to the _Enterprise_?" The look Keenser shot him insinuated that he thought Scotty was an idiot, but was reassuring none-the-less.

"Well," He bowed his head, he had been such a stubborn ass, "I just wanted to say that I was sorry for that morning and all the other mornin's too. I wasn't a good roommate or friend to you and I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry for all of it."

He looked up to find that Keenser's eye stalks had grown glassy in the low-light of the room. "There's still a spot in Engineering, if you're interested," He swallowed hard to hide his nerves as Keenser grew hesitant, "Well, it's not like I'm gonna beg," He trailed off as Keenser moved out of frame to show the cabin behind him. There, lying on the bed was a figure. The only thing he could make out in the low light was that the figure was blond and most definitely a human female.

"You ol' dog, you!" He'd been loud enough that the figure on the bed moved, her hand searching for something. Scotty felt his face screw up as he thought, "She any good at her job?"

That got him the 'you're an idiot' look again. Of course, she was good at her job. Keenser wasn't the kind to associate with anyone that was less that the best. It was one of the reasons he fit in so well on the _Enterprise_. As Keenser moved his chair back into the screen shot Scotty saw the pair of Science Blues hanging off the back and smiled at his friend. "Ko, just got transferred back planet-side, we've got a spot in Science, if you think your friend would be interested?"

Keenser's eyes stalks were quivering in excitement, "I'll get Jim to push the orders through Pike. You send me your friend's credentials in the morning." Keenser was practically vibrating with happiness and it made Scotty's heart feel lighter than it had in weeks. "Scott, out."

Okay, maybe being Captain wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

He didn't go to the party. At least not right away. He took a few minutes to stop by his office to take a little nip of the Andorian Brandy he kept in stock for some of his more difficult days. It helped to take the edge off his nerves as he made the journey to Deck 5. He was slightly perturbed by the emptiness of the ship. The ship normally ran three shifts, with most activity taking place during Alpha, but even during Gamma there were near a 100 crewmen making sure the ship kept flying and was ready for anything.

The wall of sound that hit him as he exited the lift was a nearly overwhelming. "Jehoshaphat!" He remembered now why he and Jim usually hid in his quarters during the Winter Celebration. It was a wonder that the ship didn't vibrate right out of the stars.

He made his way out of the lift, meandering through the mass of crewmen lining the halls. They had opened the rec rooms and parts of engineering to make a space large enough for most of the crew to gather and mingle freely. He knew most of the crew by name, by now, but there were a few faces that he struggled to place. He didn't see any of the group Pavel had been with at the show nor Sulu. Then again, knowing Sulu, he would be on the Bridge or maybe not.

"Sulu!" He hated to interrupt Hikaru and the lovely young lady he was with from the intimate conversation they seemed to be engaged in, but Hikaru would know where Pavel had gotten too.

"Hey Doc," The smile faded somewhat from Sulu's face. Leonard would have to work to win him over, but he had bigger fish to fry first. "Have you seen Pavel? I need to talk to him."

"Uhm," Sulu looked to his companion and back, "Not to be rude, Doctor, but he's trying to have a good night. Can't it wait till morning?"

Ouch. That hurt. "I...no! It can't. If I don't do it now, I never will."

"Doooo what?" Sulu was looking at him suspiciously as was the young lady that Bones wanted to call Jamal –maybe?

He huffed, he really wanted to talk to Pavel, but if he was going to go around talking about his feelings he might as well start now. "I need to tell him that... that… I might have led him to believe that I did not have certain feelings that I do have, that I believe he might also have, but we haven't ever really talked about."

"You two are so screwed up." Sulu had the nerve to sound awed.

"I think he was going to Engineering to help with the music," Jamal supplied, after taking a moment to appreciate the look on Sulu's face.

"Thanks," He said as he began to move down the corridor. "Hey, wait!" He didn't stop at Sulu's shout, but he had the distinct feeling that he was no longer moving down the corridor alone.

The crowd was a might thinner the farther he traveled into engineering and he was able to move a little quicker now. He heard a voice that he thought belonged Yeoman Rand ask Sulu if something was wrong and though he cringed at Sulu's 'Doc's professing his love to Pav,' response, he had to admit that was what he was doing.

The Engineering deck looked rather spectacular with crew dancing and mingling on its various levels. They weren't near any of the more delicate instruments, but he was surprised that he had yet to see Scotty lurking about or passed out in a corner.

He turned in a circle, trying to spot Pavel only to notice that he had gained quite a following during his trek. Great! An audience! Just what he needed.

Sulu tipped his head up and back, so Leonard followed his eyes to find Pavel, one deck up, tuning some instruments on a comm. He looked to the staircase leading to the upper deck, but it was so jammed with people he wasn't certain he could make it without breaking something. Well, shit! Here goes nothing.

"Pavel!"

He tried again. "Pavel!"

Still no response. He waved his arms, which since half the people around him were doing the same thing, it proved to be an ineffective communication method. Just as he started to plot a course through the crowded staircase he heard a countdown behind him and craned his neck around just in time to hear a chorus of, "Pavel!" from his tag-a-longs.

Pavel's finally lifted his head and threw a beaming smile to his friends, all of whom began gesticulating in his direction. He watched as Pavel's eyes traveled the crowd, trying to find what his friends were pointing at, only to see the smile fade when he saw that it was Leonard he'd been trying to find.

"I need to talk to you!" He tried to shout above the crowd. He was sure that Pavel hadn't actually heard him, but seemed to catch his meaning all the same. Pavel moved from the comm only to find out for himself that the neared stairs were blocked.

Well, hell in for a penny in for a pound. "Turn down the music!" He made a hand signal that had Pavel nodding as he moved back to the comm. He lowered the music levels in this sector, though Leonard could still hear its echo down the hall.

"Is something wrong? Is Joanna alright?"

"No! No! Everything's fine with Jo. She's mad at me, but she'll get over it. I...uh..."

"If you're angry about earlier..."

"No, that's not why I'm here." He screwed up his courage when he heard a distinctive clucking sound coming from over his shoulder. Fine! Fine! He was getting to it.

"It's... I wanted to apologize for the other day." Pavel's face grew red, maybe it wasn't a good idea to do this publicly. "It's okay, Dr. You don't have to apologize. It is how you felt."

"But it's not!" Pavel's eyes widened at that. "I mean, what I said that I didn't want…. I do… very much… want you to be around, that is. All the time, too much, sometimes it scares the hell out of me I want it so much. And I want you to come back or we can spend time together in other places. Long as we're in the same place at the same time, that's all I want, if you want it too."

He could hear whispers and chatter around him and tried hard to filter it out. The crew might call him a fool if Pavel sent him packing, but at least he'd put all his cards out on the table.

Pavel's mouth was working for a long damn time before he spoke. "I would like that too."

"You would?"

"I would. Very much, as well." The crew members that had been blocking the stairs moved out of the way has Pavel moved toward them this time. He bounded down the stairs, taking them two at a time to reach the deck.

"Well, now, don't break your neck," Leonard huffed as Pavel tackled him, wrapping his arms around Leonard and burying his face in his neck. Leonard ignored the round of applause from the crew as he tipped Pavel's face up, his cheeks still ruddy and red and kissed him with all his rusty ol' heart had to give.

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Have you not found sufficient sexual gratification from our repeated and various forms of intercourse, Jim?" Spock kissed his shoulder lightly as he snuggled next to Jim on the bed. Jim was glad the bed was large enough to accommodate the three of them. Their cabin would be remodeled by the time they returned to the _Enterprise_, but there was no way the bed would be this spacious.

"I am very gratified, Mr. Spock," Nyota flopped down next to them, stealing one of the pillows Jim had used to prop himself up, to shove under her back as she leaned into him. He was browsing through the options on the room's viewer quickly, trying to pick something they would all enjoy.

"It's sort of human custom when you stay at a hotel," Nyota explained as she adjusted her head against Jim's shoulder. Feeling Spock and Nyota lying on either side of him threatened to distract Jim from his search, but he forced himself to re-focus on his task. "Yeah, like stealing the towels and paying too much for the alcohol in the mini-bar." Jim added.

"I see now why our initial attempts to find a resort closer to Earth failed." Spock's hand trailed down his side before coming to rest on his lower stomach. "Humans apparently make inhospitable guests."

Jim craned his neck around to give Spock a kiss that landed on the tip of his nose. "That was because we planned everything on such short notice. Most honeymoon suites are booked months in advance."

"Jim, the first two resorts we contacted had banned you for life," Nyota teased.

Jim shrugged bending down to kiss Nyota's nose. "Some people can't take a joke."

"Jim?"

"Uhm?"

"I..., go back three selections." Spock rarely hesitated. Jim couldn't wait to see what had disturbed him so.

Jim scrolled back through the list, stopping when a very familiar face popped on screen. "That can't be," Nyota started. Her brow scrunched as she leaned forward to get a better look.

"Each Roylan has a distinctive scale pattern. That is Lt. Keenser."

Jim was leaning forward now, torn between fascination and horror at the image before him. Keenser wore a crown nearly the size of his head and was draped in a heavy purple toga, being pawed at by several species of humanoid. The "Heir of Orgasa" graphic included several clips playing in the corner. Jim warred internally, a part him wanted to turn away, but then the next clip started to play. It featured a blond human female wearing a strap-on the size of his arm.

"Is that our new science officer?"

"Indeed, it is." Jim boggled.

"I wonder if you'd have to have that custom-made." Nyota said sounded entirely too fascinated by the idea.

"What?"

"Nyota!"

The fight over the viewer controls ended with all of them sweaty and naked and was totally worth missing most of the movie for…

The End.


End file.
